


Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

by insertsomethingwitty, L_E_D



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Blow Jobs, Getting Together, Love Confessions, M/M, Swearing, sorry hinata we love you, temporary hinata/naruto, this isnt like. healthy. lmao.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:33:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,979
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28583547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insertsomethingwitty/pseuds/insertsomethingwitty, https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_E_D/pseuds/L_E_D
Summary: Sasuke is the only part of Naruto's relationship with Hinata that isn't easy.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 8
Kudos: 99
Collections: Foxy fox 🦊





	Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum

Naruto has been dating Hinata for two years. 

It’s great. He loves her, even, he’s pretty sure. They try to go on a date once a week; she never gets mad when he has to reschedule, though. She’s always on time. She pays, too—after a month, Naruto’s funds were running low after all the extra expenses of having a girlfriend. She offered to take over, citing her, you know, family fortune and who was Naruto to argue with that logic? He still tries, every once in a while, to get her something nice. So it’s not too unbalanced. 

He’s comfortable, dating Hinata. Their friends coo over them as the token straight couple. It’s nice, having someone to go to parties with. His parents like her well enough, too. They’re always nice to her when she comes over, at least. Unlike Sasuke, who they treat like a second son, but that’s neither here nor there. He can’t ask for more, really, with Hinata. 

He squints at the grocery store flower display. They all look equally nice to him. It’s their anniversary tonight and she got them reservations at a fancy restaurant. Naruto knows he can’t afford it, so, flowers. 

After a minute, he spots a neatly tied bouquet of bright orange flowers. The tag reads  _ Nasturtium - Military conquests _ . He picks them up without hesitation. The meaning may not be the most romantic, but come on; they’re orange and practically named after him, he has to get them. Hinata will be happy no matter what. 

Naruto whistles to himself as he pays for them and heads to his dorm to get ready. Before he leaves for his date, though, he has to swing by Sasuke’s room to wish him a happy birthday, or he’ll never hear the end of it. 

Sasuke is the one part of Naruto’s relationship with Hinata that isn’t easy. Sasuke’s his best friend, has been since they were kids, but Sasuke refuses to spend time with Hinata. He leaves the room whenever she walks in; he won’t go anywhere if he knows she’s coming. That isn’t that strange, though. Sasuke hates going places. And being in rooms with people. Still, it’s been a struggle between them since Naruto started dating her. He’s learned to juggle the two of them, by now. It would be great if they got along, but Sasuke’s never really been a convenient friend, so Naruto is used to it. 

He quickly pulls on the suit Hinata bought him for his birthday last year. He’s still terrible at knotting the tie himself, even after all the fancy events Hinata’s dragged him to for her family. He hates her family, if he’s being honest. They put so much pressure on her, and they throw really boring parties. 

Ready for his date, he grabs the flowers, checks to make sure his hair isn’t  _ too _ wild, and heads out. 

He takes the stairs down a floor to where Sasuke lives. His last class ended an hour ago; he should be there. He never wants to do anything but lie in bed after class, stating that he needs to recuperate from being exposed to the stupidity of his classmates. He’ll be there for at least another forty minutes before he can be coaxed outside for food. 

Sasuke’s door is unlocked, as usual, so Naruto just pushes in without knocking. Sure enough, Sasuke is under the covers, with only his face exposed. He barely glances up at Naruto’s entrance, engrossed in whatever’s on his laptop screen.

“Is this how you’re spending your birthday?” Naruto settles into Sasuke’s desk chair, spinning around and kicking his feet up on the desk, his shoes still on. 

Sasuke shoots him a glare. “Put your feet down.”

“I’m here to wish you a happy birthday, asshole.” Naruto is grinning, twirling the bouquet in his hands. 

“Are those for me, then?” Sasuke asks sarcastically, finally closing his laptop and sitting up, nodding at the flowers. “Not what I’d get  _ my _ best friend, but I’ll take it.”

Naruto grins wider. Even when he’s being a dick about it, Naruto still gets a tiny thrill whenever Sasuke acknowledges their friendship. “It’s mine and Hinata’s anniversary!” 

Sasuke looks him up and down, taking in his formal clothes. Naruto feels a blush creeping up his neck under Sasuke’s intense eyes. “Clearly.”

“Should I change?” Naruto asks, suddenly insecure. He puts his feet back on the ground and looks down at himself, wondering what Sasuke was seeing. 

“You look fine, idiot. Don’t you have to go?” Sasuke says, getting off the bed and coming closer to fix Naruto’s tie for him.

Naruto leans back against the chair to give Sasuke better access and looks at the ceiling. His neck is ticklish; he curls his toes so as not to jump when Sasuke’s cool hand brushes it on accident. “Soon. I wanted to come tell you that your birthday present is going to be late, though.”

Sasuke’s hand stills. 

“It was supposed to be here by now,” Naruto is quick to defend himself. Sasuke still doesn’t say anything, so Naruto chances a glance at him. Dark eyes stare into his own, and he swallows, the motion letting him feel Sasuke’s fingers on his skin. 

“You’re ditching for Hinata,” he snaps, “ _ and  _ you forgot my birthday again?” 

Rather than retreat, like one should do when faced with a venomous snake, Naruto stands up to meet Sasuke head on. He relishes the extra inch he has on him and the way it lets him feel like he has some kind of high ground. “I didn’t  _ forget _ , it’s just late.”

Sasuke doesn’t back up, eyes flashing. “You’ve forgotten before.” 

He forgot  _ once _ .

“Yeah, well, I didn’t this time,” he says, standing his ground. “And if I had to ‘ditch’ for Shikamaru, would you even be mad right now? What the hell is your problem with Hinata?” 

Sasuke taps Naruto on the chest with one finger, hard. “I don’t have a problem with Hinata. You’re the one who doesn’t like her.”

Naruto gapes, shocked enough to forget his rising anger. “Of course I like her, she’s my girlfriend!”

Sasuke scoffs, moving to back away. Naruto grabs his upper arm and forces him to stay put. 

“Explain, Sasuke.”

“Let go of me.”

“Not until you tell me what you mean—”

They scuffle as Sasuke tries to get out of Naruto’s grip. Naruto holds fast, so Sasuke goes for the kill: shoving his cold ass hand under Naruto’s shirt. Naruto yelps at the chill, squirming to get away, but after decades of knowing Sasuke, he knows better than to fall for this trick and doesn’t let go. Sasuke splays his hand and Naruto winces, glaring. 

Sasuke glares back, clearly annoyed that his ploy isn’t working. But he doesn’t take his hand back. It’s just resting on Naruto’s stomach, already warming up next to Naruto’s perpetually too-hot skin. Naruto now has a hand wrapped around Sasuke’s wrist, keeping him too close. 

Naruto’s heart is still racing. He can feel Sasuke’s hand as he breathes; Sasuke moves a finger, slightly, and Naruto can’t suppress his shiver. 

Sasuke grits his teeth and looks away, breaking their staring contest. “Don’t you have to leave for your date?” 

“ _ Shit _ .”

****

The restaurant is too nice. Naruto has a white cloth napkin that keeps slipping off his knees, there’s a lemon wedge in his water, and the lighting is so weak he had to squint at the menu. 

Hinata hasn’t said all that much since they sat down. She’s just looking at him with a small smile and kind eyes, letting out the occasional giggle at Naruto’s stories. He always has to do most of the talking. That’s alright by him. 

It’s only once they’re about halfway through their entrées that he realizes he forgot the flowers. Oh well, he’ll drop them off at her place tomorrow. The realization cuts him off in the middle of a rant, however, and Hinata stares at him in concern. “Naruto, are you okay?”

He blinks with a head shake, returning to reality. “Yeah, sorry, just remembered something, it’s not important.” He picks up where he left off. “Anyway, Sasuke was so pissed he bitched at me for the rest of the  _ week _ . I didn’t even do anything wrong! He should be thanking me, even. That guy was super sketchy, and if Sasuke wasn’t so busy trying to get laid, he would’ve realized it too. But instead he got mad at me for chasing that weirdo away.” He takes a rough bite off his fork and chews with more force than necessary. “Sasuke’s supposed to be the smart one and he can’t even recognize a creep when he’s being felt up by one.”

Just thinking about it makes him want to scream; the only thing keeping him calm is the distant knowledge that he’s in a sophisticated place.

He exhales, trying to relax. “Haha, sorry about that. I’m getting worked up over nothing,” he says, sheepish, rubbing a hand against the back of his neck.

Hinata shrugs. “It’s okay, it’s Sasuke,” she says, soft. Always so soft. Naruto lets out an embarrassed laugh. After so long, Hinata is clearly used to Sasuke riling him up. 

Now that he’s calmed down, however, he isn’t sure what to talk about. All he can think of is the fight he and Sasuke had before he left, but he feels like that particular topic would be kind of awkward to bring up right now. 

He pokes at his pasta. It’s pretty good. Hinata says nothing, content with the absence of conversation. Naruto can hear faint jazz playing throughout the restaurant below the quiet chatter of the other customers. He’s smiling, a bit. It’s nice, it’s pleasant, it’s—boring. 

The space in him occupied by the strange surge of emotions he was feeling just a moment ago is now glaringly empty. The air itself is dull, here. He feels like he always does on dates like these; not— unhappy,  _ per se _ , just lacking. Like there’s some sort of—  _ thing  _ missing. 

He pauses, thinking, fork digging into his plate. When does he usually get that rush? The answer is obvious, of course: during fights, usually with Sasuke. He frowns. Has he ever fought with Hinata? He racks his brain, combing through their last two years together.

No, they don’t fight. Actually, they’ve never fought. Possibly ever.

He even remembers a talk he had with Sakura a few months ago where she complimented him on how stable his relationship was. 

But is that really such a good thing? His grandparents are practically soulmates, and they fight all the time. Well, maybe ‘fight’ is the wrong word. His grandmother will definitely get heated about things, and his grandfather is always right there with her. 

Hinata’s never so much with him as she is behind him, a gentle hand on his shoulder. Maybe that’s what’s missing. That fire that comes with a solid argument.

He stares at Hinata for a minute, unsure where to begin. He has no idea what could set her off. Maybe he should look elsewhere. What would piss Sasuke off enough to start a fight? Naruto shrugs internally; there are a lot of ways, but one of the easiest is to question his taste.

He nods. “You know,” he starts, trying to sound nonchalant, “I’m not sure I like this restaurant.”

Hinata blinks at that, caught off guard. “Is something wrong with it? This is where we had our first date.”

It’s Naruto’s turn to be surprised; he totally forgot about that. He soldiers on anyway. “Yeah, well, uh, I don’t think we should come back. The food sucks and the uh, decor is tacky.”

Hinata frowns, upset. No, not upset, more like concerned. “Oh no,” she says, apologetic, “I wish I’d noticed that you didn’t like it sooner.” She offers him a shy smile. “I’ll try to pick something better next time.”

Well, that didn’t work. 

He tries again. “Uh, also, I didn’t get you an anniversary present.”

Hinata’s tone is downright reassuring when she says, “Money can be tight sometimes, I get that. Maybe next year.”

‘Maybe next year’?? The  _ one time _ Naruto forgot to get Sasuke a birthday gift, the bastard  _ baked _ all of Naruto’s shirts at a crispy 400 F. He just told his girlfriend of two years that he didn’t (not couldn’t) get her anything on their anniversary, and she shrugged it off like it was nothing. She didn’t even ask him why.

Hinata might actually be too nice to him.

Still, he has a theory to test out. He gives it one last shot. He has to say something— something  _ mean _ . Swear at her, insult her. He insults Sasuke ten times a day, he can definitely do this. He just needs to call her hair stupid or something. 

He gets her attention again, looks her in the eye, open his mouth, and— 

Nothing.

Hinata smiles. “Yes?”

He can’t do it. Every bad thing he can think of feels evil when directed at Hinata. Sasuke’s an asshole, but Hinata’s— Hinata doesn’t deserve anything mean said about her. Especially not from him

His mouth shuts and his shoulders sag.

Hinata seems to notice something’s wrong right away (because of course she does). “What’s going on, Naruto?”

He sighs, defeated. “Aren’t you mad at me?”

“Mad? Why would I be mad at you”

“Because you should be?”

“What? N-no.”

“Yes! I just insulted your favourite restaurant—”

“It’s only a restaurant, Naruto.”

“—I didn’t get you a gift—”

“It’s just stuff...”

“ —And I spent the whole dinner complaining!”

“You always complain about Sasuke— Naruto, I don’t understand. Everything’s fine!”

“Yeah, but it shouldn’t be!”

Hinata’s eyes flicker between his. “W-what, do you  _ want _ me to be angry with you?” she asks, distressed.

“Yes! I mean, no—” he catches sight of her watery eyes and deflates. “I mean—”

What the hell is he doing? What’s wrong with him? He has a perfect, loving girlfriend and he’s upsetting her. And for what? Emotional thrill seeking?

The experiment is a bust. Naruto ends up apologizing (twice) and tries to be on his best behavior for the rest of the evening. 

They skip dessert. He gives Hinata a hug and a quick kiss on her doorstep, where she asks him again if everything is okay. He says yes, but he isn’t sure if it’s true. By the look on her face, she isn’t either.

He walks home with his mind buzzing, occasionally tugging his tie looser despite the wind attacking his throat. It takes him forever to make it to the dorms; he keeps getting lost in thought. He needs to figure his shit out. He’ll be the first to admit he isn’t the smartest guy around. But he should at least be able to understand what’s going on inside his own head. 

He’d just walked out of a fight with Sasuke when he arrived at dinner. That has to be it, that’s why he was acting so weird. He’s always feeling strange after fights with Sasuke; Hinata herself said so. 

He can’t help it, really. Him and Sasuke argue constantly, and Naruto gets sucked into it every single time. There’s something so addicting about it; the name calling, the low blows, getting right in each other’s face to say exactly what they’re thinking. It riles him up, gets his heart pounding. 

They always push it too far, too, and end up hitting each other more often than not. They only stop once they’re out of energy, standing too close and breathing heavy. 

And then Naruto will be thinking about it for the rest of the day.

It’ll distract him in class, during his dates, when he’s having dinner with his parents; thoughts of Sasuke’s fiery eyes and poisonous words will haunt his every thought. 

What a fucking asshole.

It’s Sasuke’s fault if Naruto’s anniversary got ruined—he distracted him from Hinata and provoked his outburst and Naruto’s sick of it. He has to confront him about it, call him out on his bullshit.

He makes a sharp left, changing his trajectory to charge to Sasuke’s dorm room. He makes it there in under two minutes, blood boiling.

Sasuke’s door is unlocked. Naruto walks in without knocking, as he’s done a hundred times, only to stop dead at the sight before him. 

Sasuke is straddling a guy Naruto doesn’t recognize. The guy is shirtless; Sasuke’s only in boxers and a half unbuttoned shirt. They’re both staring at Naruto, who’s just standing there, his mouth gaping like a fish. 

“Get  _ out,  _ Naruto,” Sasuke snaps and that’s enough for Naruto to start moving. He leaves and closes the door behind him, stopping to lean against the wall in the hallway. He hears Sasuke talking, but it’s low enough that he can’t make out the words. 

The shock subsiding, the anger that drove him here returns. 

Naruto pulls out his phone. 

>>hey 

>>hey sasuke

He can hear Sasuke’s phone vibrating from here. He grins and keeps texting. 

>>s

>>a

>>s

>>u

>>k

>>e

He gets through Sasuke’s name three more times before he hears Sasuke snarl and something hits the door, clattering to the floor. Naruto sends one more text to confirm: yes, that was Sasuke’s phone, he can see it light up under the door. 

Naruto bounces on his feet, unsure what to do now that Sasuke’s thrown his phone. Leaving is the obvious choice, but he knows he isn’t going to do that. 

He marches across the hall and knocks on the door opposite Sasuke’s. Kiba answers, yawning. 

“Kiba! Great to see you, man!” Naruto says, not quite shouting but close enough, and gives Kiba an enthusiastic hug which Kiba returns hesitantly, confused. 

“We saw each other this morning, Naruto. In class?” 

Naruto winces, then laughs as if Kiba said something funny, all while giving him a Look, trying to communicate his intentions without saying anything. “Oh, dude! Are you busy?” 

“I was studying, actually—”

“Great!” Naruto interrupts, louder. “So you have time to talk about Sasuke. What a bitch, right?” 

Finally understanding, Kiba yawns again and leans against his doorframe. “Isn’t it his birthday?” he says at a normal volume. 

Naruto notices his exasperation, he does, and he makes a note to apologize later but this is an emergency, okay? He can’t let Sasuke have a good evening after his has been ruined. It’s important!

“Did you know,” Naruto bowls past Kiba’s question without answering it, “that when his fire alarm needs new batteries, instead of just  _ buying his fucking own _ , he takes them out of MY fire alarm? Who even does that?” 

“Didn’t you take  _ his _ batteries first? Wait, are you two still doing that? Do you not have a functioning fire alarm, Naruto?” Kiba looks at him, squinting. 

“He always takes so long to get ready, too,” Naruto continues, getting heated despite himself. “Newsflash, asshole! Your hair isn’t that great, you don’t need to spend that much time making it look like a parrot fucked a rooster!”

“Can I go back to studying now? It doesn’t seem like you need me.” 

“And he gets so mad at the dumbest things. Who gets mad because someone borrowed their laundry detergent? Sasuke, that’s who! He’s the most infuriating, selfish, bitchiest—”

Naruto’s rant is cut off by Sasuke’s door opening. Naruto turns, fiercely pleased at his success. 

Sasuke’s date is stumbling out, one sock missing and shirt barely back on. He gives Naruto an awkward smile before disappearing down the hall.

The door hangs open. 

“Thanks for talking, Kiba!” Naruto calls over his shoulder, already shoving into Sasuke’s room. Kiba says something, clearly annoyed, but Naruto doesn’t bother pausing to listen. 

Naruto’s barely two steps inside when his back hits the wall and Sasuke’s arm is pressing into his neck, holding him there. “What the fuck, Naruto?” he snarls. 

Naruto grins, leaning into Sasuke until he’s forced to let him go. “How’s it feel, asshole?”

“What are you talking about,” Sasuke asks flatly, crossing his arms. 

“You ruin my date,” Naruto explains, feeling too much glee for the situation, “I ruin yours.”

Sasuke looks at him like he’s stupid. “I—how the fuck did I ruin your date, I wasn’t even there?”

But Naruto is done thinking for the night, and Sasuke’s logic never makes it through his head anyway. “You know what you did, asshole.” He tilts his chin up, mirroring Sasuke’s crossed arms. “You’re always trying to fuck up my relationship with Hinata.”

Sasuke arches an eyebrow. “I am? That’s funny, I seem to remember  _ you _ being the expert at that.” 

Naruto grits his teeth, the mental image of Hinata’s troubled face knocking him off balance. Lately, that sentiment’s become more and more accurate; he keeps screwing up in his relationship, in big and small ways. Oftentimes he doesn’t notice he’s done so until someone else points it out to him. And he can’t seem to be able to figure out the root cause of it. “Are you finally going to explain what you were talking about earlier, then?”

“You have to be more specific, you don’t understand most of the things said to you,” Sasuke sneers. 

Naruto pushes forward off the wall and Sasuke takes a step back—and then another and another until they’re against the opposite wall. Naruto puts his hand over Sasuke’s shoulder and leans down until their faces are barely an inch apart. 

“You said,” he says, low. “That I  _ don’t like my girlfriend. _ ”

Sasuke shrugs, looking over Naruto’s shoulder. “Well, you don’t.”

He leans back. “That’s—”

He cuts himself off, frowning. 

“Okay, then, tell me this.” Sasuke’s eyes harden as they meet his. “Did you have fun tonight, on your  _ date?” _ His derision is clear and Naruto bristles. Sasuke continues before he can interrupt him. “What did you do? What do you even  _ talk about? _ ”

The last question, at least, is easy to answer. They talk about Sasuke. 

The thought does nothing but infuriate Naruto even more. He narrows his eyes. “You’re just jealous—” Sasuke scoffs, but Naruto doesn’t stop. “No, you are. You don’t think you’ll ever find someone who’ll willingly spend time with you, so you ruin everyone else’s happiness.”

Sasuke, instead of replying, shoves at Naruto’s shoulder, trying to leave. Naruto doesn’t budge. 

“Don’t make me say it, idiot.”

“Say what?”

“Don’t—”

“Say it,  _ coward _ ,” Naruto hisses. 

“The only person  _ desperate _ enough to spend time with me is you, Naruto. If one of us is lonely, it isn’t me.”

Naruto throws the punch before he can stop to think about what he’s doing. Sasuke has a way of filling him with so much emotion that there’s no room left for thoughts. The hit doesn’t land; they’ve both gotten too good at dodging them over the years. Sasuke shoves him away before Naruto can try again, but Naruto is quick to recuperate and manages a second punch anyway. 

They struggle against each other for a minute, exchanging cheap blows, both of them desperate to get the upper hand. Naruto becomes completely immersed in it, his anger lost to the thrill bubbling up in his chest. 

Sasuke ends up winning, and Naruto finds he doesn’t mind at all. Sasuke’s hand is wrapped tightly in Naruto’s collar, his entire body pinning him against the wall. 

Naruto can feel Sasuke panting against his cheek, and lets himself sag in his hold, trying to catch his own breath. Sasuke uses his moment of weakness to hold him tighter, knocking him back against the wall again, too hard. Always too hard.

Naruto gives up, letting the adrenaline of their pointless fight leave him, a grin growing on his face. He thinks about what Sasuke said that made him snap, and realizes that he… doesn’t actually care all that much. They say awful shit to each other all the time, and they never really mean it. It’s not the words that made him throw the punch—it’s more as if every fight starts a timer until the need to get physical becomes overwhelming. Fights like these only serve to feed a craving Naruto has whenever Sasuke’s nearby. This urge to get closer, to let the inexplicable rush of emotions out, somehow.

And now Sasuke’s face is a few centimeters away from his, and Naruto can see his eyes flicker across his face, occasionally dipping to his mouth before quickly coming back up, and something clicks in Naruto’s head. He thinks he might— 

He takes another moment, just to be sure, and looks at Sasuke.  _ Really  _ looks at him. At his stupid perfect hair and his overwhelming eyes and his acidic personality and his garbage taste in music and oh wow his shirt is unbuttoned just enough for Naruto to see his collarbone— 

Naruto lets his head thunk back against the wall. “Ah, shit.” He’s in love with Sasuke.

“I have to go,” he says, wriggling out of Sasuke’s grasp. Sasuke stumbles back, blinking, as if coming out of a haze.

He leaves the dorm room in a flash, not letting Sasuke say anything else, and lets the door shut behind him.

He needs to find Hinata. 

****

Naruto’s gone.

And for the briefest of seconds, Sasuke is relieved. If they’d stayed like that any longer, he knows he would have done something he’d regret. Something he promised himself he would never, ever do. 

Because Naruto believes he’s in love with someone else. And now he’s gone to see her—

The relief vanishes in a puff of smoke, immediately replaced with a burning anger. In all the years they’ve known each other, Naruto has never left like that, in the middle of a fight, without explanation. Sasuke was beginning to think that Naruto would put two and two together and realize that his relationship is a joke. But instead of  _ listening  _ to Sasuke, he keeps  _ leaving _ , always so anxious to make it work with Hinata.

He starts to pace the length of his room, knowing he won’t be able to sit still until he works off some of this energy. 

Naruto should be with someone he actually wants. Because watching Naruto be so out of his reach, in the arms of a girl he doesn’t love, is driving Sasuke insane. If Naruto was at least happy, maybe the last part of Sasuke that clings to the idea that Naruto could want him back would finally die for good. But that thought, that stupid hope, won’t disappear because even when Naruto leaves, he always comes back. Ready for a fight.

And Sasuke  _ lives _ for those fights. They allow him to yell at Naruto for his endless stupidity, to stare just a little too long; it gives him an excuse to touch him. But mostly those fights allow him to release all the bitter tension that builds every time Naruto stays by someone else. Half the time, Sasuke’s not even that mad, but—they’ll bark and scratch and bite and Sasuke always wants  _ more. _

He glances at the door again, and thinks that maybe this time, he asked for too much. He lingers on the last thing he said, that made Naruto leave. It certainly wasn’t nice, but Sasuke’s sure he’s said worse to Naruto, and Naruto has always yelled something just as bad back at him.

He frowns, stopping his pacing. Naruto’s face, struck with sudden realization before he left Sasuke’s room with barely a word, flashes unwanted through Sasuke’s mind. 

Is he even coming back? Did Sasuke chase him away for good this time? Maybe after all these years, Naruto’s finally realized he can't handle their endless fighting anymore.

That thought begins to grow before Sasuke can reason with himself. Naruto siding with his girlfriend, committing to his empty relationship, cursing Sasuke’s name and killing their bond for good.

His mind follows the scenario to its bitter end, the idea of that kind of loneliness filling his mind with blinding heat and static.

His fist goes through the wall, plaster crumbling. 

He stares at it blankly, registering the pain in his knuckles a moment too late. He lets out a shaky breath. God, he really is going insane.

He drags himself to the bathroom cabinet, exhaling through his teeth as he pours disinfectant over his knuckles. Upon closer inspection, he can see where pieces of plaster have embedded themselves into his shallow wounds. He sits on the edge of the bathtub with a sigh, and picks out the tweezers from his first aid kit. 

He gets to work, removing shard after shard. He’s positive he’s not doing this right, but Sakura isn’t here right now to fix this for him, so his shitty technique is going to have to do. Sasuke’s calmed down, and the slow methodical work has him lost in thought again. He can’t keep doing this, getting caught up in his feelings for Naruto. It’s just going to keep hurting him. Literally.

He needs to move on, for real this time. Maybe even date someone—not a hookup, but an actual relationship. It’s going to hurt, he knows that. He doesn’t think he’ll ever really be capable of getting rid of all his feelings for Naruto. That doesn’t mean he shouldn’t try, though.

Once he’s cleaned his hand, he haphazardly tapes a bandage over his knuckles, and leaves the bathroom to sit on the bed. He tilts his head back, staring at the ceiling. 

That’s it, then. He’s done. He doesn’t feel good about it now, but he’s sure he will later. This will be what makes him happy in the end. He’s moving on.

There’s a knock at his door, and Sasuke whips his head around. It can’t be him. Naruto never knocks.

He answers it, and his heart is in his throat when he asks, “What the hell are you doing here?”

Naruto is still in the clothes he wore on his date with Hinata, but the sleeves are now rolled up and the tie is missing. His shirt is unbuttoned enough to expose the necklace he’s always wearing. Sasuke forces himself to meet his eyes, reigning in the part of him that wants to cave immediately at the sight of him. 

Naruto looks at him, unreadable. “I broke up with Hinata.”

If he expected Naruto to say anything, it sure as hell wasn’t that. Naruto’s stare stays steady on his face, watching his reaction. Sasuke doesn’t want to know what he sees. 

Shock, probably. Part of him had been resigned to being the best man at their wedding. Vindication. Confusion, too—when did he dump her?  _ Why _ did he dump her? Is it because of Sasuke, because of their fight? 

But overwhelming any other emotion he’s feeling, that stupid, unshakeable  _ hope  _ is blooming out of control now that Naruto’s back and Hinata is gone. He tries desperately to stomp on it, to remember what he’d decided not ten minutes ago, he isn’t going to  _ do this _ anymore, he’s going to move on with his life— 

He prays that Naruto doesn’t see how happy he is, under everything else. 

It takes both a moment and an eternity, but Saskue composes himself, slamming all of his emotions in a vault and affecting a cool glare. “That doesn’t explain why you’re here.”

Naruto’s still staring at him, his eyes burning with an intensity only he can conjure. He’s considering Sasuke, searching his face. He takes a step forward. 

Sasuke steps back without thinking. He knows, he  _ knows _ he’ll do something he can’t take back if Naruto is too close to him.

Naruto smirks at him. Well, not quite—it’s too fond. Sasuke’s chest hurts. “Don’t you want to know why I broke up with her?” 

His heart leaps even as he tries to shove it down. It doesn’t show in his voice when he says, “No, I want you to get out of my room.” 

Naruto breaks eye contact, finally, and walks further into the room. He picks up the flowers he left there earlier, as bright orange and tacky as ever. “You were wrong, you know,” he says, inspecting them. “I like Hinata. I really, really do. She’s the perfect girlfriend.” Naruto grins down at the flowers. “Maybe the perfect person.”

“I don’t care.”  _ I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.  _

“She’s nice and calm,” Naruto looks up, gaining momentum, “and she loves me and pays for dates and never, _ ever _ gets mad—”

Sasuke’s fists are clenched at his side, his injured knuckles burning, as Naruto crushes his stupid hope better than Sasuke ever could. “Get to the point, idiot,” he manages to spit. 

Naruto is unperturbed. He walks from the desk towards Sasuke, who glares but holds his ground. Naruto stops in front of him and Sasuke’s never seen that look before, not like this, never so open— 

“But Hinata never makes me feel the way you do.”

Sasuke’s heart stops. Just straight up skips a beat. He swallows. “And how do I make you feel?”

Naruto huffs in laughter, grinning as he looks away, thinking. “Insane, usually. For literal years. You piss me off, you provoke me, you get mad at me for everything and anything. We fight about fighting about  _ fighting _ . We see each other every fucking day and you insult me every time. Every. Single. Time. You act like you’re better than everyone else. Everything you say is meaner than it needs to be, and you have no sense of personal space. Befriending you was like trying to hug a cactus. You are the worst, and you make my life a roller coaster from hell.” 

By the end, Sasuke is shaking. With rage, probably. “If you hate me so much, why did you come  _ back _ , asshole—” 

“I’m in love with you, Sasuke.”

****

Naruto was pretty certain, as he looked at every interaction he and Sasuke ever had on his way to Hinata’s—certain that Sasuke felt the same way. Enough to confess, at least. 

But with Sasuke staring at him like that, intense as always, not saying anything… Naruto’s confidence goes down the drain. 

He mentally backtracks in a panic, wondering how the hell he’s gonna talk his way out of this one. 

Sasuke moves, though, his face still a hurricane of emotions that Naruto can’t parse, even after all his years of practice. Naruto braces himself; for what, he isn’t sure.

Sasuke kisses him. 

Naruto’s panic dissipates instantly, his universe finally, finally, slotting into place. He wraps his arms around Sasuke to bring him closer, but Sasuke has other ideas—he kisses Naruto almost desperately, pushing into him until Naruto’s forced to take a step back. They keep going, Sasuke stepping forward so Naruto steps back, just more steps in the dance they’ve been doing for years. 

Naruto hits the wall, head spinning. He’s grinning, which makes it hard to kiss, so Sasuke bites him in complaint. Naruto growls and bites back. Sasuke pulls on his hair, Naruto grips his hips so tight it has to hurt. 

Of course, Naruto thinks to himself, giddy. Of course they’d kiss like they’re fighting. Like they have something to prove. 

Sasuke breaks away but doesn’t go far. “Such a goddamn idiot,” he mutters as if to himself, nosing at Naruto’s neck. Naruto shivers; Sasuke knows exactly where he’s most sensitive. “What the fuck was that confession.”

Naruto’s laugh bubbles out of him and he brings him impossibly closer. “Does this mean you like me, then?” 

Sasuke pulls back to stare at him incredulously. “Don’t ask stupid questions.”

Naruto doesn’t think that’s a stupid question, actually, and he’s about to say so when he registers that Sasuke’s got his hands pulling at his belt buckle. “Sasuke!” Naruto squawks despite himself, flushing. He’s ridiculously hard from just kissing, he knows he’s really into Sasuke and he’s accepted his terrible taste, but  _ Sasuke  _ doesn’t need to know. Not right now, at least. 

“Relax, idiot,” Sasuke says, finally getting the buckle undone. It’s not like he says it softly, or even nicely, nothing about Sasuke is soft or nice—but Naruto knows affection when he hears it. Sasuke kisses him again, surprisingly sweet. 

Then he sinks to his knees and Naruto’s brain stops functioning. 

Sasuke pulls Naruto’s pants and underwear down in one fell swoop— a blessing, really, because he would  _ not _ have let Naruto’s garish orange boxers go without comment. There’s nothing hiding how aroused Naruto is and he tries real hard to be embarrassed by it, he does. Sasuke’s touching him, though, and it’s pretty distracting—not his dick, unfortunately. He’s pushed Naruto’s shirt up and his fingers are dancing across his stomach. Sasuke looks mesmerized by the motion, dragging his fingers down Naruto’s thighs and back up again. 

He looks at Naruto through his absurdly long eyelashes and Naruto maybe understands why it was a stupid question. He can’t help the rush of satisfaction he feels at the thought that none of Sasuke’s hook-ups ever got this expression on Sasuke’s face. 

Another piece clicks into place—Naruto was jealous of Sasuke’s dates. He grins down at Sasuke, pleased. 

His hands, which haven’t stopped wandering, settle on Naruto’s hips. 

He takes Naruto into his mouth.  _ All  _ of him. Naruto isn’t that big but damn, maybe those other guys were good for something after all. 

After that, everything gets a little blurrier. Sasuke, annoyingly, is just as good at giving head as he is at everything else. Naruto can’t really find it in himself to mind all that much, at the moment. 

His hands find their way to Sasuke’s hair without permission. Sasuke groans at the contact, though, and Naruto almost comes on the spot with how good it feels. 

His eyes want to close but he keeps them open, unable to look away from Sasuke on his knees, his mouth wrapped obscenely around Naruto’s cock. There’s a part of him that thinks he’s dreaming, that he’ll wake up and go back to how things were. If it is a dream, it’s a dream he wants to remember. 

What pushes him over the edge isn’t anything Sasuke does to him in particular, but rather seeing Sasuke reach down to palm himself through his pants, his erection obvious. 

The thought that blowing him is turning Sasuke on has Naruto coming with barely any warning. He doesn’t know if Sasuke had enough time to pull away; but Sasuke pulls off and wipes his face without complaint. 

Spent, Naruto slides down the wall to join Sasuke on the floor. He pulls him into a kiss, one without the desperation from earlier, but just as much heat. 

When they part, Naruto reaches over but stops short when he notices the wet spot on Sasuke’s pants and his decidedly flaccid dick. 

“Shut up.” Sasuke’s glaring at him. 

Naruto smiles so wide his cheeks hurt. “I didn’t say anything!” 

There’s a comfortable moment of silence as they sit half leaning on each other, supported mostly by the wall, Naruto rubbing circles with his thumb on Sasuke’s wrist.

“So,” Naruto starts, tugging Sasuke to him. “Will you go out with me?”

Sasuke looks at him, a familiar glint in his eye. “You’re paying.”

“You are so rich, oh my GOD—!” 

****

Naruto wakes up the next morning hyper aware of where he is. He barely slept, too amped up from the events of the night before.

Breaking up with Hinata was far too easy, emotionally speaking. It felt like less of a loss and more like an inevitability. Hinata just nodded at him, as if she was expecting it. Naruto would be lying if he said he didn’t feel guilty. Not because he broke up with her, but because it took him so long to do so. She deserves better than whatever they had. Naruto hopes she finds it soon.

Sasuke wakes with a groan above him and tries to pull his arm from under Naruto’s head. Naruto smiles into his chest, hugging him tighter to keep him from getting away.

“Move, idiot,” grumbles Sasuke. “M’ arm’s asleep.”

“Hmm,” Naruto hums, pretending to consider it. “No.”

Sasuke struggles weakly for a moment, before giving up, still too tired to really put up a fight. He huffs in Naruto’s hair. “Let me go, it’s my birthday.”

Naruto’s smile widens into a grin. He feels so happy he could burst, and there’s laughter in his voice when he answers, “Your birthday was yesterday. That means I don’t have to let you go for another 364 days. Better say goodbye to your arm now.”

His boyfriend ( _ holy shit _ ) lifts his head back up to glare, his hair a mess from sleep, and Naruto’s heart skips a beat at the sight. “Make it my birthday present you forgot.”

The comment gives Naruto an idea. He slips out of bed (“ —finally”), and quickly finds what he’s looking for on the carpet, under his discarded pants.

“What’re you doing all the way over there, moron?” complains Sasuke.

Naruto, knowing full well he must look ridiculous wearing only his boxers and socks, spins around to present him with yesterday’s forgotten bouquet. “Ta-dah!”

Sasuke gives him an unimpressed look. “Those look like shit.”

They really do. The bright orange of the flowers has faded overnight due to the lack of water, and the weight of Naruto’s clothes has bent the petals out of shape. “But it’s all I’ve got right now!”

Sasuke stares at them for another silent moment, considering. “Fine,” he eventually says, sticking out his hand.

Naruto hands him the flowers with a satisfied grin, before returning under the covers to sit by his side.

“That orange is hideous,” comments Sasuke.

“Maybe,” Naruto says, moving to hold him again, “but you love it anyway.”

Sasuke scoffs, poorly concealing his smile. “Shut up.”

Naruto can’t pass up the opportunity, and his grin is against Sasuke’s lips when he answers, “Make me.”

Sasuke does.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on tumblr [here](https://amateurbunburyist.tumblr.com/) and [here](https://maudit-innocent.tumblr.com/)


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